The Circle of Life Continues
by deadlykiwi
Summary: Kovu and Kiara are soon to replace Simba and Nala on the throne. Disasterous events occur, leaving the new King to make life changing decisions, and Kiara is expecting cubs! Vitani finds love from a place beyone the pridelands, but can she trust him?
1. A New Day Begins

This is my first Lion King fanfic! (Please rate my story! I want to know what you think!) This starts where Simba's Pride left off, but only about a month or so afterward. I hopw it's not too corny! Lol

The golden sun slowly crept over the plentiful grassland with grace and welcome. The beginning of a new day had started. Light entered the lion's cave piercing the dark of night, awakening the sleepy carnivores. On silent paws, Simba arose quickly and walked, with a slight limp, over to the sleeping King-To-Be, Kovu. Simba nudged Kovu with a pink nose, trying to wake him. Indignantly, Kovu shifted his weight, turning away from the impatient annoyance.

"Kovu, wake up. We have much to discuss," said Simba urgently.

Kovu slowly opened up one sleepy eye, and then the other. With a grunt, Kovu was up on four paws, yawning deeply.

"What's the hurry, Simba? We have all day…" noted Kovu, followed by another enormous yawn.

"You weren't raised to know the ways of the kingdom, Kovu, and you must be taught before you accept your Kinghood. The Joining ceremony is just before night fall today, and soon after that you are to take my place as king. You know very well I can't walk as well as I used to. During the battle, I was injured on my hind leg, and I can't walk without a limp. I can't run very fast anymore, either. You are young, and you show the qualities of a worthy king…but your training must begin. There are many laws, you must know them. Otherwise, it would very hard for you to manage a kingdom," Simba stated, looking out of the cave, staring into the distance.

"Oh… I didn't realize I needed to know so much, it doesn't seem so hard."

"Then you have much to learn," said Simba with a stern, yet amused look in his eye.

Kovu and Simba left the cave without another word, anxious to start training.

Nala had been silently listening Simba and Kovu's discussion, smiling at Kovu and Simba's growing bond. After the war between Zira's and Simba's clan, Kovu and Simba had grown to like each other, almost in a father-son sort of way. _Simba is like the father Kovu never had_, thought Nala. Nala looked around at the other lionesses, which were still asleep, and closed her eyes. Smiling at her thoughts, she put her head on her paws and drifted back into a light sleep.

Kiara yawed and looked out of the cave, watching her mate and her father have an intense discussion about the laws of the grasslands. She shifted her gaze to the Dark Canyon, void of light, or life. The Dark Canyon had once been the home of the hyenas, which were ruled by Scar, her father's malicious uncle. The hyenas had left, and there were no animals or plants occupying the empty space. Evil had left its mark, and it is a reminder of the horrific events that had taken place there…. Kiara shook her head, to clear her thoughts. _This is supposed to be a happy day,_ she reminded herself, thinking of the Joining ritual that was to be performed before nightfall. _I've never seen a joining ritual before… Mother says it's the joining of two souls, so they could produce a new life…How does Rafiki perform this ceremony?... I'm so nervous! Mother also says its tradition for the two lions to go to the Mating Cave afterward…Will I like it…? _Kiara pondered nervously.

Waking to the light of dawn, Vitani began to think of how wonderful her new life was. She was still adjusting to the pride's way of life, but it was more comfortable than living off of scraps of rotting meat and insects inside a dirty termite mound. Here, she was treated with respect and was loved by her clan. While living with her new pride, Vitani had changed. She was no longer thin and dirty. Her fur was clean and she took on some characteristics of a well fed lioness. Her personality had altered a bit, too. She was more relaxed and calm around other lionesses. She no longer felt hostility toward any of them, like her mother had taught her to feel. She felt like she belonged here, like she was finally home, but something was still missing…..

Kovu and Simba had walked to a small ledge of earth, which out looked the grasslands and the savannah. A herd of gazelle were near by, grazing, barley conscious of the two male lions. "Kovu, I want you to hear the same speech my father said to me, when he told me of the Circle of Life. I am going to pass on my knowledge to you," Simba said knowingly.

"Simba, what ever you need to teach me, I'll listen, and I'll learn..." Kovu said seriously, his eyes held the intense stare Simba had been giving him. Simba looked away and took a breath.

"Kovu, everything exists together, in a delicate balance. As king you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures. Like the crawling ant to the leaping antelope…" Simba paused, remembering his mighty and wise father, giving this very same speech to him, "We may eat the antelope, but when we die, our bodies become one with the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great circle of life," Simba finished. Kovu stared at Simba with awe and new understanding of the world around himself.

"I never saw life that way before….it makes everything seem so different…" Kovu said, his brow knit, pondering the knowledge that had been bestowed upon him. Kovu looked to the rising sun, appreciating life in many new ways.


	2. Strangers

The lionesses of Pride Rock were excited for the Joining Ceremony. They had waited in anticipation since the day Kovu and Kiara's bond had been accepted by the clan. They had been fussing over Kiara for many hours, and Kiara had had enough.

"Mother, I'm going for a walk… I can't breathe with all these lionesses fussing over me like this! I'll be back soon." Kiara complained to her mother, Nala. Then after a moment of thought, Kiara called, "Vitani, would you like to come with me?"

Vitani quickly agreed to go with Kiara. She couldn't stand this much excitement and it was making her very nervous.

"Thanks, Kiara. I need some air too." Vitani said roughly, thanking Kiara.

Vitani trotted to the cave entrance, and looking back, shook her head at all the commotion, smiling. Kiara joined Vitani and they walked into the cool breeze.

After a short time they had become hungry, and they decided to hunt. Looking around for a suitable prey, they found a small herd antelope. They were a healthy looking bunch, and there were few young. They had started to turn away when suddenly; Vitani spotted a sickly looking antelope, straggling behind the rest. Nudging Kiara's shoulder, Vitani motioned with her paw where the sickly beast was. Nodding, Kiara crouched down, staring at the sick antelope with an intense look in her eyes. Vitani couldn't help but grin. That was the same look Kovu gets in his eyes before a kill. Vitani, too, crouched, and was ready for the perfect moment to spring into action. The ill beast had stopped and begun to lay down to rest. Kiara and Vitani were flying toward the antelope in seconds. Vitani ran around the beast, causing it to turn its focus to Kiara, who was racing right to him. He screamed a warning to his herd, causing them to flee. Vitani and Kiara pounced on the ill antelope, causing him to flip over, breaking one of his legs in the process. Kiara opened her mouth wide, biting the beast, piercing one of the central arteries in the neck with deadly precision.

Licking her maw, Vitani looked over at Kiara, who was still eating her share of the antelope. Feeling intensely thirsty, Vitani got up and glanced at their surroundings.

"Kiara! I'm going to look for some water. If you need me, just roar, okay?" And she walked away, searching for drinkable water.

She had been walking for a short time, and her thirst had rapidly increased. Noticing a large area of green grass, she wondered if a pool of water was making the grass green.

She loped through the green, healthy grass to find a large, clear pool of drinkable water. Greedily lapping up the water, she didn't notice the two lions standing across the pool.

She heard a deep rumble and quickly looked up, water dripping from her maw. Vitani's eyes widened with fear. Standing across from her were two male lions, about Vitani's age, if not a bit older. One was a gold brown with a black mane and blue eyes, and the other lion was a light brown with a deep brown-yellow mane and brown eyes. They were the both muscular, yet lean, like they had gone without food for a while. And they were also looking at Vitani with malice.

_They're going to kill me…_


	3. Tobi and Malaki

Hai gaiz

**Hai gaiz! Srry for not writing for so long…. Forgive plz? Lol. Well, here's the next chapter for ya! 3 **

Vitani let loose a vicious snarl and crouched ready to spring into action. She was ready to fight for her life. Claws digging into the earth, she waited for the first move to be made. Suddenly, the earth began to shake! Thinking it was and earthquake, Vitani kept her alert blue eyes locked on the two lions, but lowered herself closer the ground to avoid being thrown off balance.

"Look out!" exclaimed the deep brown lion indicating behind Vitani. But it was too late for her to look back. A large buffalo jumped over Vitani's head, missing it by a few centimeters. Upon seeing the other lions across the pool of water, the animal was thrown into a panicked frenzy. He thrashed madly about, separating the male lions. The darker one was forced to stand closer to Vitani, who was too focused on the thrashing buffalo to notice. Eyeing Vitani, it charged at her. She was taken by surprise and froze, unable to make her brain function. The deep brown male threw himself at Vitani, knocking her out of the way just in time. The beast pounded his hooves over the very spot Vitani had been standing moments before as he rushed through the tall, green grass, disappearing from sight.

Vitani lay on the ground shaking her head clear. Her eyes came into focus, and she saw the dark brown beginning to get up. He too was shaking his head. She jumped up and growled at him. He repeated her action, taking a step back. Looking closer at Vitani, the look of mistrust suddenly disappeared from the deep brown male's face. He turned to his companion and whispered, "Tobi, it's alright. She isn't a threat. She's not from Relzin's clan." The tan lion (Tobi) studied Vitani, and then relaxed his tensed muscles.

"You're right, Malaki…she's not." Tobi admitted. Malaki sauntered through the shallow pool of water and stood directly in front of Vitani.

"What do you want?!" snarled Vitani, taking several steps back. Malaki briskly walked closer and said carefully, "I mean you no harm. We came from afar and we are seeking refuge from this blistering heat."

"How do I know you aren't lying? You could be old allies of Zira, here to revenge her by killing Simba!" declared Vitani, eyes darting around, searching for more lions to appear.

"Simba? Is he your Leader?" asked Tobi, creeping behind Malaki.

'_It seems as though they are telling the truth … But I shouldn't be here alone…,' thought Vitani._

Suddenly, Kiara pounced through the tall savannah grass, frightening the two strangers. Involuntarily, the jumped back and readied themselves for an evenly matched melee.

"Vitani, I heard the commotion. What happened?" questioned Kiara. She glanced across the water and noticed two male lions glaring at her, ready for a fight. "Who are they?" Kiara growled, returning the glare to Tobi and Malaki, ready to defend Vitani and herself.

"They call themselves Tobi and Malaki, lions from a distant land, here to seek refuge…or so they say… They saved my life….," Vitani answered simply.

"Oh no! Are you hurt?!" exclaimed Kiara apprehensively. Vitani shook her head. "I see…. We shall test their loyalties, and acknowledge if they are fit to gain entrance to our lair," she turned her attention to the male lions, "If you are not trustworthy, you shall be exiled. If you prove yourself to be honest, well, we'll just see about that." Kiara said with a new air if authority. She held herself high and with grace. Vitani stared in wonder.

'_What just happened? I've never seen Kiara so…Queen-like.' Vitani said to herself. _

Seizing the opportunity to speak, Malaki asked confidently, "It seems that you know our names, but we do not know yours. Will you enlighten us?"

Taking a deep breath of dry savannah air, Vitani coyly answered, "I am called Vitani, and this is my pack's future Queen, Kiara."

Tobi and Malaki respectfully lowered their heads, as was custom to do in front of the Leaders. Or in this case, princesses. "Princess Kiara," Malaki turned his blue-eyed gaze to Vitani, "Vitani. We are pleased to meet you, but may we seek shelter elsewhere? The sun has been upon our backs for many weeks, and it has made us weary…"

"Of course. Follow me, but don't attract attention to yourselves, company isn't usually welcomed with open arms…" Kiara said cautiously. Tobi and Malaki exchanged worried glances but followed the lionesses without another word.

They head reached Pride Rock an hour before the golden sun was to hide behind the horizon. Simba and Kovu had returned earlier, exhausted from their days' journey.

Kovu, seeing Kiara and Vitani trotting quickly to Pride rock, jumped down to greet them, with Simba following close behind. They froze in their tracks seeing two other males behind Kiara and Vitani. Feeling threatened, he roared at the strangers. Simba stood his ground and closely surveyed the scene, curious to see how Kovu was going to handle this. Kiara loped over to her mate, looking at him with an exhausted expression. "Don't hurt them! They say they have traveled from afar. They ask to seek shelter with us for a short time," Kiara explained quickly and she said slowly, "And they have saved Vitani's life." Brows furrowed, Kovu cast an anxious look at Vitani and then turn his attention back to Kiara. He understood Kiara knew what she was doing and he relaxed. "I have told them that we will test their loyalties to see what their true intentions are," Kiara then whispered, "But I don't think we have anything to worry about, Kovu. They seem trustworthy…enough. I mean… they DID save Vitani's life"

Trusting Kiara with her word, Kovu approached Tobi and Malaki. Kovu was obviously stronger then them, seeing as they appeared very underfed. Remembering what Simba had done to learn if Kovu was trustworthy, he told them they were allowed to sleep outside until he was satisfied. The sun had set, and the night sky had appeared revealing the Kings of the past.

The lion pack settled them selves inside the den. Lying beside a large boulder outside the den, Tobi and Malaki glanced at each other, smiling with a devilish grin. "This is too easy!" Tobi whispered with a grin. Malaki grinned back, and Tobi lay his head down and closed his eyes. Malaki's grin faded into an indecisive frown. He looked inside the cave blindly, only seeing the darkness that enveloped the lions inside. Then he turned his gaze to the stars, deep in thought.


End file.
